Adjustable form for concrete structures



S. RASlHKOVSKY-(NDW BY IUDICIAL CHANGE 0F NAME S. RASKIN).

ADJUSTABLE FORMTOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES.l

APPLICATION FILED .IAN.20. 19.20.

1,374,864. I l Patented Apr. 12,1921.

f@ ffm UNITED STATES' .PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL RASIIKOVSKY, (NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME SAMUEL RASKIN,)

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO IVIETALEORMk CONSTRUCTION CORPORA- TION, OF VST. ,LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

l ADJUSTABLE FORM FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12,1921.

Application filed January 20, 1920. Serial No. 352,802.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL RAsiiKovsKY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Forms for Concrete Structures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to adjustable forms of the kind that are used in building concrete structures.

The main object of my invention is to provide an adjustable form for molding concrete and other material that can be erected and taken down quickly and without the necessity of inserting and removing alarge number of screw-threaded fastening devices.

Another object is to provide a form of the character described which is composed of a number of adjustable sections that are interlocked with each other in a novel manner that insures the form being strong enough to successfully withstand great bursting strains.

And still another object is to provide a form for concrete columns that can be adjusted easily to adapt it to columns of various heights and diameters.

While I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in a form for molding concrete columns, I wish it to be understood that my broad idea is applicable to adjustable forms for molding various other kinds of structures from concrete and other materials.

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view, partly in vertical section, illustrating a form constructed in accordance with my invention for molding concrete columns.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. j Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the top section of the Jform.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the base section of theform; and

Fig. 5 illustrates a slight modification of m invention.

eferring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention', A designates a base section, B designates a topl section and C a plurality of intermediate sections arranged between said base section and .top section.l Said various sections are of sim1lar construction, in that each comprises a number o' parts formed of sheet metal that can be adjusted or moved relatively to each other to vary the internal diameter of the form, but said sections are or maybe of different height. All of the intermediate sections C are preferably of the same height and are considerably deeper than the base section A, said base section and intermediate sections being used with columns of various heights. The top section B of the form is variable, in that a complete form will comprise a number of top sections of different height or depth, fory example, one section 4 inches in depth, another 5 inches in depth, another 6 inches in depth, and so on, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3. lVhen the form is designed for use in molding a concrete column of rectangular shape in cross section each of the sections will comprise Jfour parts l, 2, 3 and 4 of such proportions that when they are arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 2 they will overlap each other more or less, according to the diameter of, the column, each` of said parts being ofsubstantially L shape in outline. The parts of the base section A are of substantially channel shape in vertical cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, and each of lsaid parts comprises ak vertical `web 5 provided at its upper and lower?v edges with outwardly-projecting, horizontal flanges 6 and 7 respectively the bottoni flange having an upwardly-projecting p0rtion or vertical iiange4 7a. Said ,parts are adapted to be arranged in telescopic engagement with each other by slipping one end of each part longitudinally into the end of an adjacent part, thus forming a rectangular `shaped frame composed of four parts that are interlocked securely with each other, due to the fact that each part is embraced at one of its ends by an adjacent part, the cooperating vertical lange 7L onsaid parts ypreventing the overlapped ends of said parts from spreading or separating, when the base section is subjected to strains which tend to burst it. If desired, each part of the base section may be provided at one end with a vertically-disposed fiange 8 that strengthens the web 5 of said part and also prevents saidu part from being assembled improperly with one of the other parts of the base sectionjy The horizontal flanges 6 of the base section are provided with holes `9 and 9 that are adapted to receive drift pins or retaining rods l that loci( the parts of the hase section together and also assist in locking the base section to the lowermost intermediate section C that is supported on the base seetion.

The top section B of the form is slightly different from the base section, in that the parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the top section are not provided at their lower edges with horizontally-disposed flanges having upturned portions or vertical flanges similar to the flanges '7a on the parts of the base section. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each part of the top section B is substantially angle shaped in vertical cross section and is provided with a vertical web that has a horizontally-disposed flange 6 projecting' laterally from the upper edge of same. The parts of each of the intermediate sections C are of substantially the same construction as the parts of the top section B, but the webs 5 of the parts of the intermediate sections C are longer or deeper than the webs of the parts of the top section, lach part of the top section B and each part of each of the intermediate sections C is provided adjacent its lower edge with a laterally-projecting supporting portion 11 that rests upon the upper edge of the section immediately below said part, said supporting portion being connected to the vertical web of the part which carries same at a point slightly above the lower edge of said web, so as to permit the lower end portion of the part to which said portion 11 is connected to project downwardly into the section on which said part is supported. The supporting` portion 11 on each part of the top section l a nd on each part of each of the intermediatc sections C is provided with a vertical flange 11 that is connected by means of rivets or in any other preferred manner to the part which carries said portion, and if desired, gussets 12 may be provided at the ends of the supportingportion 11 so as to reinforce and strengthen same. As shown in Fig. l, the vertical web 5 of each part of cach of the intermediate sections C is provided at one end with a vertical flange 8a similar to the vertical flanges 8 of the parts of the base section A. The upper flanges 6 of the parts of the top section B and of the intermediate sections C are provided with holes 9 and 9a for receiving the drift pins 10 previously referred to, and the laterallyprojecting supporting portions 1l on said parts are provided with holes 13 which are in vertical alinement with the holes 9a, as shown in Fig. 3. To assemble the form the parts l, 2, 3 and 4 of the base section A are combined by slipping one part into the other so as to form a rectangular shaped frame whose internal vdiameter corresponds to the external diameter of the column to be formed. Thereaftenthe lowermost vintermediate section C is positioned by mounting the parts l, 2, 8 and 4 of same on the base section A in such a manner that the supporting portions 11 on the parts of said intermediate section rest upon the upper flanges G of the parts of the base section, thus causing the lower edge .portions of the vertical webs of the parts of said intermediate section to project downwardly into the base seotion, as shown in Fig.i 1. The remaining intermediate sections and the top section are thereafter positioned in a similar manner, the sections being locled together progressively by inserting the drift pins in the cooperating flanges of same.

To eliminate thc possibility of the overlapped ends of the various parts of the intermediate sections and the top section spreading or separating when said sections are subjected to strains from the concrete that is introduced into the form, I have provided the form with devices that securely bind together the upper iianges of the parts of the various sections at the points where the ends of said flanges overlap. Said devices may either consist of substantially hook shaped elements integrally connected to the supporting portions 11 of the parts of the intermediate sections and top section, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, or they can consist of removable keys that are adapted to be slipped endwise over the laterallyprojecting supporting portions on said parts and over the overlapped horizontal flanges on which said supporting portions rest. In the 'form of my invention shown inFigs. 1 to 47 inclusive., each of the supporting portions 11` is provided at its outer edge with an integral, depending, hook-shaped device 14, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. l.When the first part of the lowermost intermediate section C is being positioned the hook-shaped device 14 thereon is slipped over the overlapped ends of the upper flanges 6 of two of the parts of the base section A by arranging said first part in a slightly inclined position. Thereafter, said first part is tilted forwardly so that the vertical wcb of same stands in a vertical position, thus.causing` the hook-shaped device 14 on the portion 11 thereof to einlniacc the overlapped flanges of the hase section on which the portion 11 rests.V The other parts of the lowermost intermediate sections C are thereafter positioned in a similar manner. In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 5 the reference character 111 designates an element that corresponds to the supporting portion 11, previously referred to, said element 111 being provided on its upper side with a reversely bent flange 112. The reference character 118 designates a removable key that is adapted to be slipped endwise into engagement with the flange 112 and the overlapped flanges 6 of the parts on which the element 111 bears or rests.

The form of the construction above describedv can be erected and taken down quickly; no screw-threaded fastening devices are employed to hold the'parts of the form in adjusted position; the form is so constructed that the parts of same will not flex or bend out of shape when they are subjected vto strains from the concrete that is poured into the form, thus insuring a column that is perfectly true and even; and still another desirable feature ot such a form is that it can be adjusted easily to produce columns of various diameters and of various heights.

` Having thus described my invention, what 1 cla-im as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A form for molding concrete and other materials, composed of a number of sections, each of which comprises parts capable of being adjusted relatively to` each other and provided with overlapping flanges, and devices that embrace the overlapped flanges at the ends of said parts so as to prevent the parts of a section from spreading or separating when they are subjected to pressure and strains from the material being molded.

2. A form for molding concrete and other materials, comprising a plurality of sections, each of which is composed of a number of overlapped parts provided with cooperating flanges, supporting portions on the parts of some of the sections that bear upon the overlapped flanges on the parts of an adjacent section, and means that cooperates with said supporting portions to hold said overlapped flanges in parallel relation and prevent them from spreading or separating when the form is subjected `to internal pressures that tend to bulge or expand same.

3. A column form, composed of a nnmber of horizontally disposed sections arranged one above the other and each provided with a number of overlapped parts that can be adjusted relatively to each other, said sec-b tions being so arranged that the lower end portion of each section is in telescopic engagement with the upper end portion of the section immediately beneath same, and means on each section that embraces the overlapped parts of the section immediately below same and locks said sections together, as well as prevents the parts of the lower section from spreading or separating under bursting strains.

4. A column form, comprising a number of rectangular-shaped sectionsy arranged vary the internal diameter of the form, laterally-projecting portions .on the parts of said sections which rest upon the upper edge of the section immediately beneath the parts to which said portions are connected, overlapped llanges on the parts of each section that are overlapped by the laterally-projecting portions on the section immediately above, means for preventing said overlapped flanges and laterally-projecting portions from separating vertically, and retaining devices passing through said laterallyprojecting portions and through the flanges with which they coperate.

6. A column form, comprising a number of sections arranged horizontally, one above the other, each of said sections being composed of a number of parts provided at their upper edges with laterally-projecting flanges that are arranged so that the ends of said parts are overlapped, supporting portions on the various parts arranged so that the sections will be held in proper spaced relation with the lower end portion of each section embraced by the'upper end portion of the section immediately beneath same, and drift pins or retaining rods adapted to be inserted through coperating holes in said llanges and supporting portions.

7. A column form, comprising a base section composed of four parts of substantially channel shape in vertical cross section that are arranged in telescopic engagement with each other, cooperating flangeson said parts that prevent the ends of same from spreading or separating, a variable top section, a number of standard intermediate sections arranged between said base section and top section and each composed of a number of overlapped parts arranged in telescopic engagement with the parts of an adjacent section, and means arranged at the points where the ends of the parts of each section overlap that prevent said parts from spreading or separating or the sections from pulling apart vertically.

8. A column form, comprising sections arranged one above the other and each co1nposed of a number of adjustable parts provided With laterally-projecting Hanges, lat- 5 erally-projecting supporting portions on said parts arranged above the lower edges of same and in such a position that they Will bear upon the overlapped flanges of the parts of an adjacent lower section, and means Combined with eaeli of said support-- ing portions for bridging the joint between the overlapped flanges on which said portion bears. i

" SAMUEL RASHKOVSKY. 

